I Wasn’t Fair To A Lot Of People – VeryDarkMan Apologises Over ‘Unknown Gunmen’ Remarks

Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has apologised to members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies over remarks he made at the just-concluded 66th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Otse had, during the conference, referred to soldiers, police officers, customs and immigration personnel as “unknown gunmen,” prompting criticism over the remarks.

However, in a video posted on his social media platforms, the activist said he had reflected on his comments and acknowledged that they were unfair to security personnel who put their lives on the line to protect Nigerians.

He explained that his statement was not meant to suggest that all personnel within the security agencies were involved in criminal activities.

“I don’t think I was fair to a lot of people, particularly the speech where I said that the military are the unknown gunmen, the police are the unknown gunmen, you know, the immigration, the customs,” he said.

“I know exactly what I was trying to say because, I mean, I have evidence to back up my claim, but I wasn’t fair to a lot of people in that speech.

“That speech was not fair, especially to the soldiers that are in the bushes fighting Boko Haram to protect our lands, to protect our lives, and to protect our families.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say they are also the unknown gunmen, to be very honest, because these people have laid down their lives.”

Otse further explained that his comments were directed at alleged misconduct by some personnel, rather than an attempt to discredit the security agencies or undermine officers who were genuinely committed to their duties.

“My speech was entirely to talk about the bad eggs in our security operatives, our security forces, to put attention on the bad eggs, so that the leaders in these security settings will look inward and to see that sometimes information is being leaked and their own people are sabotaging them,” he said.

The apology followed an invitation extended to Otse by the Nigeria Police Force to substantiate allegations he made during the NBA conference concerning the alleged involvement of some police officers in the activities of kidnappers and terrorists.

Otse had claimed that some officers manning checkpoints along major highways identify affluent travellers and pass information about their identities and movements to criminal groups, allegedly aiding kidnappers in targeting victims for ransom.

The Force Headquarters, through its spokesman, CSP Anietie Iniedu, rejected the allegation, describing it as unsubstantiated and stressing that claims of such magnitude should be backed by credible evidence.